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Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
61
Imaging
77
Features
89
Overall
81
Nikon Z6 Mark II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Nikon Z6 II
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 705g - 134 x 101 x 70mm
  • Released October 2020
  • Replaced the Nikon Z6
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Released April 2009
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Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Nikon Z6 II and Panasonic FS42, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Nikon and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the Z6 II (25MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the Z6 II (Full frame) and FS42 (1/2.5") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The Z6 II was manufactured 11 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Nikon Z6 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the Z6 II scores vs the FS42 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon Z6 II over the Panasonic FS42

 Z6 II FS42 
ReleasedOctober 2020April 2009Fresher by 140 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.2"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.7")
Screen resolution2100k230kSharper screen (+1870k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Nikon Z6 II

 FS42 Z6 II 

Common features in the Nikon Z6 II and Panasonic FS42

 Z6 II FS42 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera often, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Nikon Z6 II offers physical dimensions of 134mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.3" x 4.0" x 2.8") with a weight of 705 grams (1.55 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Nikon Z6 II and Panasonic FS42 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the Z6 II versus the FS42.

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the Z6 II and FS42 is 61 and 95 respectively.

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out specifications. The visual here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the Z6 II and FS42.

Plainly, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The Z6 II featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Nikon Z6 II will provide more detail due to its extra 15MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more recent Z6 II will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon Z6 II Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography advice
86
manual focus
fantastic MP (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Nikon Z6 II as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Street photography camera
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports focus by touch
environment sealing
above average high ISO (51,200)
47
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
maximum ISO low (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon Z6 II
Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
82
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery power (410 shots)
16
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon Z6 II Travel photography features
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography features
66
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
supports focus by touch
fantastic MP (25 megapixels)
terrible battery power (410 CIPA)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon Z6 II Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography advice
82
manual focus
change lenses (Nikon Z mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
two card slots
terrible battery power (410 shots)
22
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5")
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
maximum ISO low (1,000)
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon Z6 II Vlogging information
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging information
36
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic socket
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Nikon Z6 II vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon Z6 II and Panasonic FS42
 Nikon Z6 Mark IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Make Nikon Panasonic
Model type Nikon Z6 Mark II Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2020-10-14 2009-04-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 23.9mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 858.0mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6048 x 4024 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 51200 1000
Maximum boosted ISO 204800 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 273 -
Lens
Lens mount type Nikon Z fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 15 -
Crop factor 1 6.3
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3.2 inches 2.5 inches
Screen resolution 2,100 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,690 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.8x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 14.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash settings Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 144 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 144 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 144 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 144 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 144 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 56 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 56 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 705g (1.55 pounds) 132g (0.29 pounds)
Physical dimensions 134 x 101 x 70mm (5.3" x 4.0" x 2.8") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 410 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type CFexpress Type B / XQD SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Dual One
Pricing at launch $1,997 $580